President Obama nominated Vice Admiral Michelle Howard for a fourth star Friday, becoming the first woman in Navy history to attain the rank—assuming Senate approval—of full admiral.

She currently serves as deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans, and strategy. She has been tapped to serve as vice chief of naval operations, the Navy’s second-ranking officer, and a single step below the chief of naval operations, the service’s top officer.

“Someday, sure, there’ll be a woman CNO,” she presciently told Time nearly 14 years ago, when she was commanding the USS Rushmore, an amphibious dock landing ship, out of San Diego. “It will happen of its own accord.”

Howard steps up during a demanding time for the Navy, trying to pivot to the Pacific amid a funding crunch that has the service scrambling. “The best ambassador,” she likes to say, “is a warship.”

Her promotion comes in the wake of the Army’s decision to tap Ann Dunwoody for four stars in 2008, and the Air Force move to promote Janet Wolfenbarger to its highest rank in 2012. Time interviewed them together last year, shortly before Dunwoody retired.

According to the Pentagon’s latest demographic report, 14.5% of active-duty military personnel are women. They represent 13.5% of the Army, 16.4% of the Navy and 19% of the Air Force. Women account for only 6.8% of the Marine Corps, whose highest-ranking woman achieved three stars before retiring earlier this year.

“Men have the luxury of being average,” Howard said back in that January 2000 interview. “When men walk onto a ship, on board they have the luxury of being average. When you walk in as a woman, that assumption does not come with you—you need to prove yourself.”

Howard said that her command of a ship surprised people more because of her race—she is an African-American—than her gender. “For some of the sailors, it was a big deal—not because of the woman thing, but because of the African-American thing,” she recalled. “I literally had people coming up, wanting to have their picture taken with me—this is the first time this has happened, where a minority woman has had command of a ship.”

Howard, a 1982 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, is used to breaking glass ceilings, as she did when she assumed command of the Rushmore in 1999. “Harbor pilots are surprised overseas,” she said at the time. “In Australia, the reaction was tremendous, especially from the women—`Oh good for you, we need to do this in our country!’ The men were: `Well, m’am, we don’t see your type around here.’”

Howard recalled early hostility from some in the Navy, believing she was shunted away from favored assignments that went to men she felt were less qualified. But that began to change. “What’s great about the Navy is that despite the few knuckleheads that exist,” she said, “there are a lot of folks who are professional, and who will grade you on your performance and not on how you look.”

She recalls the comments when she took an officer’s billet on a warship with a woman also serving as second-in-command. “I was not prepared for the focus on it—`My God, there’s a warship with two women in the top positions—it’s going to sink just from their presence.’ It was hilarious.”

In that interview on the bridge of the Rushmore in San Diego harbor, Howard said she was happy to be in command in the Navy rather than the Army. “It’s good to be a captain of a ship and not the colonel of a squadron,” she said. “I spent 1998 with the Army at the Command and General Staff College [at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.], and we talked a lot about how there is nothing else in the military like being the CO of a ship. You are out there on your own with your little city of folks, and the Navy provides us with a lot of management leeway that I don’t see in the other services. That’s driven by the demands of sea-going lifestyles—you need to have that level of control in order to maintain good order and discipline.”

She was asked whether it was tougher dealing with sexism or racism in the service. “Sexism within the service, and racism outside the service,” she responded. “Maybe that’s because we started to integrate the officer corps starting at the end of World War II, as far as race was concerned.”

Howard noted that she had come in for her share of ribbing as commander of the Rushmore at 39 (she’s 53 now). “There is one guy on board who refers to me as `Grandma,’” she said, “rather than the `Old Man.’”

I am glad there so many here are willing to cast stones without even knowing the person who this article is about! Admiral Howard was my Division Officer when she was a lieutenant. In my 26 years in the Navy, I never met or served with a better officer! She is extremely bright, smart, enthusiastic, and personable. She cares about the sailors down on the deckplates. One of her outstanding qualities is that she is a good listener, who is able to process input, and make a fair, logical decision. She always sought out the thoughts and opinions of the Chiefs who served under her. She is a person of great principles and soaring beliefs. The Navy would find itself in the headlines a lot less often if it had more officers like Michelle Janine Howard! I can think of no person - male or female - who is more deserving of being promoted to this exalted rank. And if chosen when the time comes, I think Admiral Howard will be an outstanding Chief of Naval Operations. It is my distinct pleasure and priviledge to have served with her! Congratulations, Admiral Howard!

Obama wants to be politically correct-regardless of who is the best man (or woman) Obama is a CON-MAN who likes to be liked but is corrupt to the bone- he always says what people want to hear but is a LIAR & FRAUD-

“What’s great about the Navy is that despite the few knuckleheads that exist,” she said, “there are a lot of folks who are professional, and who will grade you on your performance and not on how you look.”

True, but it only takes one "knucklehead" to ruin a career. I once gave a 4.0 (water walker) fitness report to a female lieutenant who was my Personnel Division Officer. It was knocked down to an ordinary rating by my CO upon his review. Furious, I asked why he did that.

"She doesn't have command presence," was his answer. Translated, she was female and tiny (about 5' 2").

I'm so proud to be a part of a service that does promote based on leadership-this appointment is based completely on merit. Several of my colleagues have had the opportunity to work for her and would follow her anywhere. Although I was never privileged to serve under her, I have met ADM Howard, and she is truly intelligent, driven, and will continue to inspire and drive our Navy to be the best around.

@flashbyte Just like Obama. Through political correctness and affirmative action somebody got through the head of the line. Maybe her credentials and record are really exemplary. But so is Obama being a constitutional scholar and intelligence except he wont show his grades.

@IgnacioSanabria So is Obama. An accomplished Constitutional Scholar except he wont show his records, Harvard Law Review except there seems to be no record also of his legal dissertation or opinions while in college.

I'm getting the distinct impression that his is more about content of character and the qualifications that were met for this incredible promotion than it was about quotas. Generally speaking the Navy operates by the former and not the latter.

congrats to her. the few times i've seen on her on tv she's seemed very professional and gracious. only the ignorant would believe that she could acheive this level of success without merit. no one, no one is going to put their reputation on the line to keep promoting someone after a certain point unless they're confident it's not going to come back to haunt them. and her husband seemed very supportive of her. and he happens to be white. so kudos admiral howard. thanks for your service.

@jt35 So is Kathleen Sebelius except for the roll out she was also very professional and gracious. And Hillary Clinton except for the Benghazi debacle she was also very professional and gracious. And so was our eminent war hero John Kerry when he testified wrongfully against his comrade in arms. He looked professional and gracious. And so on. All Obama`s appointees were professional and gracious. But it takes a challenging event that bring out their incompetence. Watch for Caroline Kennedy. She is also professional and gracious. In the meantime China and Japan are at each other throats. Let us see what she will do.

@ReneDemonteverde@jt35Admiral Howard HAS had her chance (actually many of them) to prove her competence! Perhaps you are not aware that she was the officer-in-charge of the task force and operation that rescued the captain of the Maersk Alabama who was captured by Somali pirates? Before you go spewing your drivel here, you should get your facts straight! Me thinks your bigoted, Freudian slip is showing!

WASHINGTON
– President Obama this year alone has fired some nine generals and flag
officers, on top of at least four similar dismissals during his first term,
suggesting that a purge may be the real reason behind the removals.
The military is looked upon as one
of the last bastions of conservative ideas, even though under the Obama
administration, it, too, has become a testing ground for social
experimentation. The efforts include openly homosexual behavior and women in
combat.

On board a ship at sea, the Captain is God and Dad at the same time. Don't see much difference in God and Mom at the same time. Being a deity and parent to dozens, hundreds or thousands of sailors requires real leadership, and that ain't an attribute belonging to any special sex, just a human being of unusual ability.

I don't know this lady and I'm not interested either. However, not everyone in the US Armed forces make it to her rank and duty position, so I'm sure she must have a long list of accomplishments under her belt. She's human, so I'm sure she has screwed up at some point (probably as a Jr Officer), but any mistakes after reaching the rank of Captain would not have taken her where she is at this time.

So what's the over/under on how long it'll take this woman to accidentally sink one of our own ships? I'm curious. Let this be a lesson to the rest of the world: put women in positions of authority in the armed forces, and you'll inevitably start a countdown to when they inevitably screw things up. Ban women from military service! It's the only way to make our fighting forces top-notch!

Just look at one of the best military forces in the world, Israel. They ban all women from their armed forces Oh, what's that? they conscript women into their armed forces? Since when? 1948? Man, I forgot that.

@emeraldseatown@JoshHammerstein@NucLear If they do that here, gender discrimination lawsuits would pile up. These libturds heads are so deep inside their you know where they are absent from the real world. Yet they seem to dominate the political society with their bloviatings.

@StephenN.Clark Don't get your point. Are you suggesting she only has her position because she's black, female, and gay? Well, she's not gay. She's actually married to a white guy. They've married for a long time. And if you think being black and/or female is a big plus in society, let alone the military, why don't you try it...

As an ex-hospital corpsman (HM2) in our great US Navy (male)..I can tell you that there are plenty of great women Commanders out there. Most of these negative comments are coming from average sailors who did not hack it.

The Navy promoted the first woman to the rank of Rear Admiral in the seventies....Rear Admiral Alene Duerk, who is now 93. Book about her is titled "Registered Nurse to Rear Admiral". Changes may take awhile but must start somewhere.

But, and not to be all nit-picky, since you're keen on letting the world know that she is clearly less than capable for being a woman/black/lesbian (?) please consider returning to school and getting an education. This way, the next time you stand up on your self-proclaimed high horse and make proclamations about another person's qualifications, you can use grammar at a level beyond that of a third grade student.

Wrong, and makes you look stupid - "if she wasn't a woman" ...

Right, and makes you look like you at least have a High School diploma - "If she weren't a woman" ...

It is not so much as problem if she is really qualified, congrats to her. But with this Administration drive to pursue its agenda at the risk of the nation`s security that is a problem. Just because people think it would look better if they promote a female to the role of Admirals on paper and political correctness they should do it. Just like in 08 when they thought it is time to elect a black President regardless of his background and temperament they elected Barrack Obama. It is the country that is now suffering to his incompetence and callowness.If Bradley Manning was not given position with access to the nation`s secret people will also complain discrimination against gay. Same with Hillary Clinton. People just love the idea of electing the first female President to White House despite of her record as Secretary of State.

@jiesheng.li@ReneDemonteverde Sometimes once in a while we have to use our head if we want to contribute to a discussion. Why and what did she screw up before 9/11 ? When Clinton aborted the assassination of bin Laden before 9/11 because of legal implications did he screw it up ? When information reached him that the Muslim terrorists were planning to hijack planes and smash it to commercial buildings here and he disregarded it did he screw up before 9/11 ? Sorry if it would disappoint you but it was not Bush who was President when the warning reached the White House I could go on but seeing your closed mind, let us give it a rest. Not only close but locked and you threw away the key.

@ReneDemonteverde "not so much as problem if she is really qualified" Why assume the opposite, Rene?

I voted for this president BECAUSE of his "background and temperament" (BTW, sounds like your talking about a dog breed, is that how you see people who are different than you?). Are you seriously blaming President Obama for Bradley Manning's access? LOL!!!